Trialeti-Vanadzor culture

The Trialeti-Vanadzor culture, also known simply as the Trialeti culture and previously referred to as the Trialeti-Kirovakan culture, is named after the Trialeti region in present-day Georgia and the city of Vanadzor in Armenia. This Bronze Age culture flourished between the late 3rd and early 2nd millennium BCE, marking a significant phase of sociocultural and technological development in the South Caucasus. It arose in the territories previously inhabited by the Kura–Araxes culture, representing a notable cultural and material transition that includes advancements in metallurgy, burial practices, and social stratification.

Several researchers have proposed the Indo-European affiliations of the Trialeti-Vanadzor culture, with recent studies increasingly supporting it as representing an early Proto-Armenian cultural horizon. This hypothesis aligns with broader theories linking the culture to Indo-European migrations and the gradual emergence of Armenian ethnicity and language.

The Trialeti-Vanadzor culture eventually evolved into the Lchashen–Metsamor culture, marking a continued trajectory of development in the Armenian Highlands. It has also been suggested as a cultural precursor to the Hayasa-Azzi confederation mentioned in Hittite records, and has been linked to the Mushki—a people referenced in Assyrian sources.